News

2019

Representatives from Member States, civil society organizations and contractors, gathered at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, this week, for an open ended informal working group meeting established to advance discussions on the financial model for mineral exploitation in the international deep seabed area.

Governments officials and experts from Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) convened at a regional workshop held in Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga this week, to strengthen national and regional capacities to access sustainably and benefit from seabed activities and therefore, from the Blue Economy.

International Seabed Authority (ISA)’s Secretary-General Mr Michael Lodge is in the Kingdom of Tonga this week to attend a regional workshop jointly organised by ISA and UNDESA with the support of the Kingdom of Tonga to discuss increased participation of P-SIDS in activities undertaken in the international seabed area as well as identifying the capacity-building needs of the Pacific sponsoring States.

Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In recent decades, the international community has made great strides in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet many challenges remain. According to UNESCO, women today account for only 38 per cent of the world’s researchers in ocean science, and the rate is even lower for women from developing countries.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) will hold a regional training and capacity building workshop for Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) on deep seabed mining in Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga, from 12 to 14 February 2019.

The Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) will open on the 25 February 2019 for the first part of its 25th annual session in Kingston, Jamaica, with Member States set to continue their discussions around the draft exploitation regulations for commercial deep seabed mining, which will include proposals for the payment mechanism for mineral exploitation. Policy discussions concerning key areas from the draft regulations will be the main focus of deliberations.

The World Maritime University (WMU) and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation with a view, among other things, to advance achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14. The focus is on improving education and capacity-building initiatives in marine science.

The Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech Development Corporation (BPHDC) has applied to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for approval of a plan of work for the exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Polymetallic nodules contain nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese, which are subject of increasing interest with the rise of green energy technologies required for a low-carbon future.

Nominations are now open for the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Secretary-General’s Award for Excellence in Deep Sea Research.

Launched at the ISA Assembly in July 2018, the Award recognizes and encourages the achievements of young researchers from developing countries who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge of the deep-sea environment, or to the development of environmentally sustainable regulatory frameworks.

Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Mr. Michael Lodge today welcomed H.E. Lumka Yengeni, as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to ISA.

Ambassador Yengeni was recently appointed as High Commissioner-designate of South Africa to Jamaica, and has been a Member of Parliament of South Africa's National Assembly since 2004. She is also an active member of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's ruling party.